Getting Married At City Hall (The Nitty Gritty)

Now, when you get married at City Hall you’re actually getting married at the Office of the City Clerk Marriage Bureau at 141 Worth Street. You’ll enter on the right of the building.

There are a few steps once you arrive:

1. After going through security — coats and bags need to go onto the conveyer belt — you’ll wait to be called up to sign your marriage certificate.

2. Once signed, it’s just a short wait until your ceremony.

3. Outside, in the waiting area and in the ceremony hall are numerous opportunities for photos. Moreover, not too far from the Office of the City Clerk Marriage Bureau are NYC attractions like the Brooklyn Bridge, City Hall Park, and Chinatown. Of course, we can also take the subway elsewhere around New York City for additional photos.

NYC City Hall Wedding Photographer Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What do I need to do before the date of my New York wedding?

Before your big day, it’s important to get a Marriage License. This costs $35 by credit card or money order, payable to the City Clerk. The Marriage License is valid anywhere in New York State for 60 days (or 180 days for active military).

Note:

You must wait at least 24 hours after obtaining the Marriage License to have your ceremony.

Q: Is same-sex marriage legal in NYC?

Yes! Actually, it is legal in all 50 United States of America.

Q: How do I set a time for my booking?

Once your package is booked, our team will follow up with you to set up a time. We highly recommend booking for a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday before 10am to maximize time. Fridays and later in the day tend to be busier, and you can end up waiting over two hours.

Q: What if the ceremony takes longer than an hour?

We price our packages based on hours, though if time goes over we can break that up into half hours. This means that if you book a one-hour Ceremony Only package for $300, but it takes an hour-and-a-half, it will be $375.

This also means that if you book a Ceremony + Around Town package, but we spend 90 minutes at the marriage bureau, we’ll have 30 minutes left for outdoor photos.

As long as you book on a weekday before 10am, preferably as early as possible, this shouldn’t be a problem. Note that Fridays tend to be busier.

Shooting on the Brooklyn Bridge after a City Hall Wedding

Q: What is your cancellation policy?

Our cancellation policy is as follows:

Cancellations made at least 30 days in advance receive a 90% refund

Cancellations made between 73 hours and 29 days out from the tour departure receive a 50% refund

Cancellations made within 72 hours of the tour departure are non-refundable

Please keep in mind that photographers block their schedules when a booking is made, turning away other clients to be available for yours. In order to effectively run our business while ensuring photographers are always compensated, we do not provide 100% refunds.

If you need to reschedule please email us at [email protected] and we can try to accommodate as best as we can. As long as your scheduled photographer can accommodate your request, we’re happy to reschedule at no charge.